Live, fresh or chilled abalone (Haliotis spp.)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0307 81 00 (Live, fresh or chilled abalone) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and mandatory foreign-manufacturer registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as a high-risk food product. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0307 81 00

Chapter

03 · Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk food regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS
Health Certificate from AQCS

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

AQCSAQCS·Animal Quarantine and Certification Services

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the mandatory high-risk-food registration scheme. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted entry.
CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
2
Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) prior to dispatch and quote the e-Sanchit IRN of that permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC. The Sanitary Import Permit covers abalone as a live aquatic mollusc product listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
3
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Ensure label compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; only labelling defects classified as rectifiable under FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 may be corrected post-arrival.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance document and failing to secure the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit independently. The two clearances are issued by separate authorities on separate timelines; a consignment arriving at a designated port with the FSSAI licence in order but without the AQCS NOC IRN uploaded in e-Sanchit faces detention, accruing demurrage and ground rent until the Sanitary Import Permit is regularised — a process that cannot be initiated after the vessel berths at a non-designated port.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0307 81 00 require BIS certification?

No, live, fresh or chilled abalone falls entirely outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with a concurrent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement and a 79-designated-port restriction.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for abalone importers?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the overseas facility processing or handling abalone for export to India must be registered with FSSAI before import is permitted; absence of registration at the bill-of-entry stage results in consignment detention.

Can labelling defects on an abalone consignment be rectified after arrival at the designated port?

Only defects classified as rectifiable under the FSSAI clarification order dated 18 November 2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus may be corrected post-arrival; non-rectifiable labelling non-conformances render the consignment liable to re-export or confiscation.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.